# Search bar added above product images: -4.2% conversion rate

- Outcome: Lost
- Page type: Product page (Ecommerce)
- Elements: Filters, sorting & site search
- Test run by: [Clean Commit](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/clean-commit/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://cleancommit.io/ab-tests/search-bar-added-above-product-images/
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/cleancommit-search-bar-added-above-product-images/

Placing a search bar directly above the product images on product pages lowered conversion rate by 4.2% and revenue per visitor by 6.2%. Clean Commit ran this 21-day test for an anonymized Shopify store and published it in its A/B test library. The result was not statistically significant, but every main metric fell.

## Result

**-4.2% conversion rate**

- Conversion rate: -4.2%. The original had a 76.9% probability of performing better.
- Revenue per visitor: -6.2%, and orders -4.9%.
- Average order value: -2.0%.
- Almost all of the 40,182 visitors were on mobile, so this mainly reflects mobile shoppers.
- Flag: not statistically significant.

## Control

Product pages had no search bar above the product images.

## Variant

A search bar sat directly above the product images, so shoppers could look for other or related products without leaving the page.

## Why it likely lost (our reading)

- A search bar on a product page invites shoppers to look elsewhere instead of buying the item in front of them.
- On mobile, a bar above the images pushes the product and buy button further down the screen.
- Shoppers who reach a product page are often ready to decide. Extra options can add choice and delay.

## Caveats

Not statistically significant after 21 days, with almost all of the 40,182 visitors on mobile. Results are reported by the agency that ran the test.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we add a search bar above product images, then conversion will rise because shoppers can find alternatives without leaving the page.
- Primary metric: Conversion rate
- Guardrail: Revenue per visitor
- Guardrail: Add-to-cart rate
- Guardrail: Search exits
- Who should test it: Stores with large catalogs where shoppers often land on the wrong product. For small catalogs or mobile-heavy traffic, keep the product above the fold.

---

Credit: Clean Commit ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/cleancommit-search-bar-added-above-product-images/).
Usage: Free to use, quote and build on, with credit and a link: name the practitioner or organization that ran the test and link to its LiftArchive page. The results belong to the practitioners who ran and shared them; the summaries and commentary are LiftArchive's.